When you vote, please make a quick post with your favorite game from your chosen year. It will help keep the poll alive with micro-bumps.

1. What's your favorite year for pinball (year of release)?
2. Why that year?
3. Name your favorite title(s) from that year.

thanks!
-mof

Years in the running so far are:

1965, EM
1976, EM
1979
1981
1988
1990
1993
1997
2012

When we see 9 years with multiple thumbs up, we can start the votes... getting there.

1981

My favorite games come from that year (Black Hole, Centaur). I think I'm more of a fan of orbit shots and spinners than ramps, and I love drop targets...
-mof

Here are some top titles from 1981:

Barracora
Black Hole
Centaur
Eight Ball Deluxe
Elektra
Embryon
Fathom
Flash Gordon
Iron Maiden
Lightning
Mars God of War
Medusa

I was searching by "manufacture date" not "project date"

For Fathom, I see : Date Of Manufacture: August, 1981

I hope I'm using the tool correctly.
-mof

Surely we have some more strong years beyond 1993 and 1981, even if they aren't absolutely tops!
When were some best years for EMs?
-mof

I love those two years as well, but you gotta pick one sir...
What do you decide?
-mof

I'm personally a bit EM-curious. Wondering if there any other sweet spots besides 1965, 1972 and 1976 ?

-mof

It's Friday, and it's time to run a fun poll !

POLL IS UP !!! Vote now...

Name the best year for pinball ! What year do you think has the best pins of all time?

1965 - EM
1976 - EM
1979 - early SS
1981 - early SS
1988 - late SS
1990 - late SS
1993 - DMD
1997 - DMD
2013 - modern

Every vote counts !
-mof

Please post your favorite year and favorite titles from that year when you vote, to help keep the poll bumping!
-mof

1981: Centuar and Black Hole...
-mof

more votes coming in from all over the world...
-mof

Thanks for the votes so far! Keep 'em comin'
-mof

Please post a short note when you vote, to keep the polls "open"...
-mof

Looks like a few people are speaking their minds with their votes!
Please post a short note when you vote, to keep the polls "open"...
-mof

Votes still filtering in from all over the globe...
Please post a short note when you vote, to keep the polls "open"... What's your favorite year for pins?
-mof

I appreciate the votes, and more importantly... the comments.

As suggested by some, I am going to re-run this challenge by era.

Pinside allows for voting of up to 9 categories. I am going to choose the strongest years in each era. It won't be perfect for everybody, but it should appease 98% of us.

If you think any year within each group has a better replacement year, make your case in the next 24 hours for it, otherwise, I'll start a poll on a Friday, and let all 4 groups run for a week, then we can have the final run off of 4 best-years the following week.

I need the most help with EM, since I don't know EM pins *at all*, an I am basing these based on reviewing the top-100 EM list on Pinside.

==============
em
==============
1965
1966
1967
-
1971
1973
1974
-
1975
1976
1977

==============
early solid state
==============
1978
1979
1980
-
1981
1982
1986
-
1987
1988
1990
===============
dmd
===============
1991
1992
1993
-
1994
1995
1996
-
1997
1998
1999
==============
modern
==============
2003
2007
2008
-
2010
2011
2012
-
2013
2014
2015
==============